


Masquerade

by scorpioan



Category: Glee, Glee Project RPF
Genre: Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Normal High School, Drinking, Drug Use, F/M, High School, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Rape/Non-con Elements, Self-Harm, Underage Drinking, Underage Sex, William McKinley High School
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-10
Updated: 2017-09-25
Packaged: 2018-12-26 04:09:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12051009
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scorpioan/pseuds/scorpioan
Summary: Once she had everything others would dream of, but life doesn’t write fairytales. And so it came that behind that perfect façade, there was a broken little girl whose life slowly fell apart. Nobody could stop this because nobody ever knew, and so it went on until it was too late and it destroyed her inside. She’d always kept it locked inside her, hidden from the world, hidden behind a beautiful masquerade.A Glee/The Glee Project fanfiction about Lindsay Pearce's experience at McKinley High School with all the drama of Glee club, cheerios, being popular, friends, relationships and -of course- love.





	1. Just A Small Town Girl

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for taking your time to read this story, it means a lot to me.
> 
> This story is a Glee/The Glee Project crossover, but it turned out quite fictional since everyone is really out of character. There'll be OCs in later chapters.  
> I wrote 'Masquerade' after watching The Glee Project. It's mainly inspired by Lindsay Pearce who was my favorite contender on The Glee Project Season 1 and the story will be all focused on her experience of high school.  
> Also, this is my first ever published story, so I'm pretty excited for your comments and reviews! (:
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or The Glee Project. (obviously)

High school was a riot; a mess where everyone got tossed into a category. Lindsay Pearce knew that when she woke up in the early morning with the first rays of sun tickling her face. But still, she had to admit that she was excited. Not only because she could see her best friends Marissa, Emily, and Samuel again and had the chance to get to know a whole lot of new people, but because she could finally fulfill her goal. The dream of getting on top of the food chain, no matter what it’d take, she was willing to do it. Those four years were her time to shine.

After stepping out of the shower, she quickly got dressed and blow-dried her auburn hair. She looked into the mirror as two piercing blue eyes looked right back at her. They were pure, innocent and genuinely happy, just like eyes of a 14-year-old girl who had a caring family and friends, never experienced anything too bad in her life, and eyes of a girl who had never fallen in love.

It was quite a warm day in Lima, summer wasn’t over yet but the leaves were starting to change their colors, getting ready for autumn. She decided to wear a grey top with a light brown cardigan, a short red skirt and some brown ankle boots, finishing off the look with red lip-gloss. While putting on her mascara she checked her outfit.

_Everything needs to be perfect, first impressions count._

That’s what her dad always told her when she was little. She took one last look in the mirror, then grabbed her bag, and walked downstairs in the kitchen where her three older brothers already ate breakfast.

“Morning Linds, ready for high school?” her brother asked her as he rumpled up her hair.

“Connor!” she groaned and desperately tried to fix her hairstyle again.

“Love you too, sis.” he kissed her on the cheek before grabbing his bag and joining his two brothers in the car.

Lindsay entered the already crowded hallway of McKinley High School. Even though most students were busy talking to their friends about their summer, she noticed some glances and stares at her and couldn’t help but smirk.

“So far, so good.” she thought and continued walking, trying to find her locker. Just as she saw what she was searching for, two small arms wrapped around her from behind and she couldn’t help but jump even though she knew there’s only one person in the world that’d do this. She quickly turned around to tightly hug her best friend and kissed her on the cheek.

“Oh my God, Mars! I’m so happy to see you again; I’ve missed you so much!”

“Aw Linds, I missed you too! It’s so good to see you. How was your summer?”

“Amazing! We had such a wonderful time in LA, it was so much fun. I’ll tell you everything later in-“ she took a look at her schedule “-we have Spanish together right?”

“Yeah, but we have our welcome speech and introduction in the gym first. So you’re gonna tell me everything then. And I mean _everything_.”

Marissa giggled when Lindsay rolled her eyes. She knew Marissa wanted her to find the ‘great love of her life’ over summer because it’d be so cliché and cute, but there wasn’t anything ever nearly romantic in her life let alone holidays. For her it was just another family trip with her brothers, camping close to the beach and enjoying the sun and nature every day.

“Come on, let’s go. We don’t want to be late on our first day of school right?” Lindsay snapped out of her daydream, and took Marissa’s hand to follow her to the gym.

Marissa and Lindsay entered the already crowded gym where all the freshmen were sitting impatiently, waiting for Principal Figgins to start the introduction. The two girls quickly sat down next to their best friend Emily in the back row not really interested in what Figgins was going to tell them.

“Quiet children, quiet please.” As he started to talk in his very own Indian accent they began their conversation about holiday experiences, relationships and how the next four years were going to be the best of their life. After the introduction the three girls met at Lindsay’s locker to plan the rest of their day.

“Linds, what class do you have now?”

“History, what about you Em?”

“I’ve Geography with Mars. Sorry, but you’ve to survive first period without us. Have fun chica.”

Emily and Marissa hugged their friend and walked down the hallway to their classroom. Lindsay sighed and turned around searching for her other best friend, Samuel. When she couldn’t find him she started her way to her own classroom not really excited to attend this class alone. As she wanted to open the door two big arms welcomed her in a tight hug.

“Look who’s here. Little football player’s sister. How was your summer Linds?”

“I missed you too Puck.” she answered trying to get out of his grasp. She knew Puck for a while now; he used to come over at their house since he and Heath were good friends even though they’re at different schools and play for different foot-ball teams. Being the sister of the star quarterback of Carmel High definitely helped her reputation and gave her the chance to get to know the jocks easier. They always got along quite well although there’s something Lindsay never liked about Puck. Wherever he went he caused trouble in which Heath got involved too, and he…

“You want one?”…right, he smokes. Lindsay never liked the smell of it on her brothers’ clothes but having three older brothers she couldn’t deny that she’s never tried too.

_First day of school and I actually have nothing to lose. It’s just one cigarette, nobody’s gonna notice it._

So she accepted Puck’s offer and lit the cigarette.

“That’s my girl.” he said patting her on the shoulder and continued walking down the hallway.

“Oh my God, what is this smell?!” Cameron entered the classroom with Damian by his side coughing badly. Damian just pointed towards Lindsay who was sitting in the second row smoking her cigarette.

“Lindsay, you’re gonna get expelled on your first day of school!” Cameron ran up to her trying to stop what she was doing.

“Calm down, chicken. I’m fine.” she blew the smoke into his face what caused him to cough again thus he turned around shaking his head and sat down on the seat in front of her.

Just as she wanted to take her last drag, the door opened again and Mrs. Hagberg stepped in. She wrinkled her nose before putting her bags on the teacher’s desk.

“Who smoked in our classroom?!” Lindsay quickly threw her cigarette down and stomped it out with her boot. Mrs. Hagberg put her glasses on and slowly went around the room looking at each student. When she walked pass Lindsay, the girl couldn’t help but hold her breath.

_Crap, crap, crap. She’s going to find out. Please don’t, please don’t expel me._

Lindsay started to panic in her seat when Mrs. Hagberg bent down to grab the stomped out cigarette next to her seat.

“Ehm,” she cleared her throat, “what’s your name young lady?”

“Lindsay Pearce” the girl answered nervously.

“Then would you like to accompany me to the principal’s office, Miss Pearce?”

Lindsay slowly stood up, her head down, not daring to look at the judging stares of her classmates, and followed her teacher to the door.

“Wait! It wasn’t her. I-I mean, she didn’t smoke that cigarette.” Cameron suddenly stood up from his seat and walked towards them trying to look confident.

“Who was it then?” Cameron gulped and bit his lip nervously.

“It was m-me. Cameron Mitchell,” Lindsay frowned and looked at Cameron confusedly.

“Alright Cameron, follow me to the principal’s office please.” Mrs. Hagberg opened the door and gestured to Cameron to leave the room. Lindsay watched him walking out still not sure what just happened.

“Why did he do that for me?” Lindsay was still so confused about what happened.

“Maybe he has a crush on you.”

“Em, you know very well that that’s not true. He’s gay.”

“Or maybe he’s just trying to be nice.”

“But Mars, Cameron just risked being expelled from school. That’s not ‘just being nice’. He’s seriously planning something bad together with his leprechaun and I bet he’s using this to put me under pressure.” Marissa couldn’t help but laugh at Lindsay’s over-interpretation of the situation.

“Why is it so hard for you to believe that Cameron isn’t that evil guy you think he is? He can be really sweet and nice too.”

“Mars! Why don’t you believe me? Cameron Mitchell is not sweet!”

“Ok chicas, calm down. Whatever happened today, you were lucky that Cameron did that for you Linds, and don’t ever think of doing something stupid like that again. He won’t save your pretty little ass another time. And now, let’s just go home. That was way too much drama for the first day of school, I’m tired.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please rate, comment & review (:


	2. Barely A Beginner

Even though she had heard the rumors about how tough Coach Sylvester was, Lindsay was excited for her cheering try-outs. Finally, she was able to prove to her family that she was a jock like them and that she belonged. Besides that, being a cheerio at McKinley High never hurt anyone’s popularity. She had been training and asking her brothers to help her all summer just to get a spot on the team. But still, looking down the line of pretty girls she had to beat for that spot, she couldn’t help but feel a little bit uneasy.

_It’s not all about looks; skills matter too._

She kept telling herself to calm her nerves. Marissa and Lindsay spent the whole last night talking on the phone, planning what they were going to perform but when Lindsay turned her head to look at her best friend, she seemed just as nervous. It was cruel of Coach Sylvester to make them watch while the other students were auditioning; it put pressure on both sides.

First off, head cheerio Quinn Fabray performed what seemed like a technically difficult routine with so much grace and ease that they all just stood and watched in awe.

“She’s so gorgeous,” Marissa whispered to Lindsay and she indeed was.

“Great, just another thing to bring down my confidence,” Lindsay thought. In that moment she totally envied Emily who didn’t have to tryout because she already got her spot on the team from training with the Coach over the summer.

However, her mood was lightened a bit when a nerdy looking redhead with glasses was about to try out and Sue Sylvester immediately yelled “No freaking way, Jacob!”

From that on it seemed like everyone who wasn’t able to perform backflips, cartwheels and splits with perfect precision without missing a single beat, receive an instant _No_ from Sue Sylvester.

Marissa and Lindsay were the last two to tryout. Before them, only four other girls and one boy made the cut and they all looked like they could have been professionals. As Marissa stepped up to perform, Coach Sylvester didn’t turn on the music just yet. Instead, she intensely looked the young girl up and down, checking every feature of her appearance. Marissa bit her lip nervously and stared at the ground as she waited for what seemed like an eternity, for the coach to turn on the music. The moment she finally did do so, Marissa quickly performed her routine and to her surprise, she had to admit that it was going quite well.

“You’re the first ginger that isn’t ugly and looks like a circus freak,” Sue Sylvester said with furrowed brows. “Congrats, you’re in.”

Marissa wasn’t sure to feel insulted or excited so she just quickly thanked Coach Sylvester and walked back to her spot in the line.

The last one to tryout was Lindsay who by now felt like her mind was completely blank after seeing the routine over and over again. But to her relief it all came back as soon as she her the song playing. In her head she was acting out a role, pretending to be a character that was pretty and popular and talented, someone who had the potential to be head cheerio. It gave her the confidence she needed to perform in front of all the other students and of course, Sue Sylvester.

“The beginning was sloppy but at least you’re less miserable than those lazy, washed down losers standing back there,” said Sue. “Be at practice tomorrow at 4pm.”

“Thank you, Coach Sylvester,” Lindsay said before running back to hug Marissa. They couldn’t believe that both of them made the team. However, they also couldn’t help but notice a few envious and angry stares from the students that didn’t make it. Once they returned to the locker room to get changed, it didn’t get any better. They heard some girls whispering about how the two friends really weren’t that good and how they didn’t understand why Sue Sylvester chose them. Others were talking about how much prettier they were than them.

“I mean look at her, she’s so pale she could pass as a ghost,” one girl said and the others chuckled.

“And the other ones a ginger but with black eyebrows? What the hell?” another girl said as the laughter got louder.

Lindsay understood that Marissa and her weren’t as good in cheerleading as the others who were able to make the cut but it still gave them no reason to say those things.

“Imagine them on the team, cheering next to Santana Lopez and Quinn Fa-“ a girl said laughing but got interrupted by the sound of the door opening.

Then, the room went suddenly completely silent. Standing in the doorway was Quinn Fabray, dressed in the cheerios uniform with her blonde hair in a high ponytail.

“Congratulations to those who made the team. You’re now a cheerio and as the head cheerleader you’re under my protection,” she announced, looking around the room as those who were laughing just a moment ago quickly stared at the ground. “I’m looking forward to seeing you at practice tomorrow,” she said with a smile as she turned around and exited the room again.

Lindsay wasn’t sure whether or not it was all an act but Quinn Fabray did genuinely seem like a nice person. At least she was different from all those other cheerleaders who only cared about their looks and bullied those who were at the bottom of the food chain. But then again, Lindsay wondered if she was really that different from them…

Her train of thought got interrupted when she heard Marissa squeal as she ran up to hug Emily in the hallway.

“We made it! We both made it on the team, can you believe it?” the redhead said happily.

“No way! All three of us are cheerios now,” Emily said, jumping up and down and flipping her hair excitedly.

“This is going to be the best school year ever,” Lindsay said as she joined her best friends in their hug. “At least for the three of us,” she added when she saw Cameron struggling to put the stack of books in his hands into his locker.

Next to him stood Damian who desperately tried to help his friend balance the books. Lindsay remembered someone saying that Damian had moved to Lima over the summer break and she couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. He probably didn’t know any better than to befriend Cameron Mitchell, which then _of course_ put him at the very bottom of the social pyramid.

Not only did Cameron look and dress like a complete nerd, he had two left feet that made him unable to even walk in a straight line and he was way taller and way skinnier than the average boys his age. And on top of that, Lindsay was absolutely confident that he was gay. During the time when she, Hannah and Cameron had been friends in middle school, she had noticed that he’d never talk or even show the slightest bit of interest in girls.

“Linds, stop staring at Cameron. It’s not going to make his life any less miserable,” Emily said giggling.

“You guys really need to stop being so mean to him. He got one week detention because of you Linds,” Marissa said.

“I didn’t ask him to help me,” Lindsay sighed. “If he didn’t want to get into trouble, he should have stayed silent instead of playing the hero.”

“You need to stop getting other people into trouble,” said an amused voice behind them. Lindsay turned around to see her best friend leaning against the lockers with a smirk on his face.

“Sam! I haven’t seen you in forever!” Lindsay exclaimed as she happily hugged him. “I had to spend History alone with Cameron yesterday, do you know how awful that was?” she pouted as Samuel laughed at her over-dramatization.

“You know, you really should have been there yesterday,” Emily chimed in. “Because of you little Miss Pearce here decided that it was a good idea to smoke in the classroom.”

“Guys, I’m sorry! I already told you that I had this really big gig last night and it took me all day to practice for my performance,” Samuel said. “But why am I not surprised that you manage to get into trouble on the first day of high school, Linds,” he continued and all of them couldn’t help but laugh.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please rate, comment & review (:


End file.
